Fate
by TheArchaicCeltie
Summary: Seven times they meet, and the lifetime after. [Soulmate AU, Kaider-centric oneshot. Wolflet, Cresswell if you squint. Like, really squint. Rated T for thematic material. (Undergarments, mainly.)]
1. Chapter 1

**Synopsis:** The seven times they meet, and the lifetime after. Because I have a weakness for soulmate AUs.

 **Disclaimer:** Man, if I owned The Lunar Chronicles…

* * *

The first time they met, she was five and he was six. Her dress was pink and frilly and her hair was in a mess of two pigtails, but Kai deemed her suitable enough of a playmate.

"My name's Kai," he offered as she sat down on the swing. Her legs barely reached the ground, which amused him, but it wasn't as if he was innocent either. Big people swings were not meant for little people, after all.

She had no response. He wondered if she would blush. She didn't, and picked at the charm bracelet on her wrist.

After a few minutes of silence, Kai shrugged and opened his mouth. "My name's Kai- you know that already- and I'm six. How old are you?" She held up a palm at that. "Five? Okay. I'm older, but that's cool. Do you know what I did today?

"I learned about soulmates! They're very interesting, you know. My dad told me that when you reach double digits- that means when you're ten or something, which is _old_ \- you get numbers on your left hand, and that's your soulmate's birthday. Your dress is pretty," he added, for his father had also told him to be nice to other kids, and that went double for girls.

"And then, when you're even older? You get letters on your right hand, and you know what those are?"

Kai didn't wait for an answer, choosing instead to wrinkle his nose at how high she was swinging. Was that even possible for someone so young? Of course, he wasn't jealous that he couldn't do that. Not at all.

"They're the ini- inish… initials! Of your soulmate!" he finished with triumph.

Two seconds later, the girl fell of her swing into an impressive faceplant. She didn't start crying, despite the nosebleed she sported and the huge clump of mud on her dress. Instead, she sat up with what seemed like exasperation as her father rushed her away, presumably for tissues.

Kai stared after them for a heartbeat, before realizing that he only knew her age. "Wait!" he shouted. "What's your name?"

There might have been an answer, but he didn't hear it. He left the playground later with only a little charm in the shape of a shoe that had been twinkling on the ground.

* * *

The second time they met, she was ten and he was eleven.

It was Kai's first time on the public bus, and he had reason to be nervous. The walls were cold and the air smelled of metal and _what if he got off on the wrong stop_?

None of that mattered, though, because he finally had his first soulmate mark. The numbers _12 21 109_ glimmered in black ink on the back of his hand. The excitement had bubbled inside him like firecrackers that morning, but then dampened when his father had apologetically told him that he couldn't drive him to school.

What a great present.

Kai's mood wasn't diminished too badly, though. The moment he had dreamed of for years (since he was six, to be exact) had finally arrived. He rubbed his fingers over the numbers, reveling in the marks.

The bus jolted to an abrupt stop. Kai didn't bother lifting his head as footsteps pattered closer. He was sure that no one would sit next to him. There weren't enough people on the bus to make it so people would have to be side by side.

Soft rustling, a whispered "sit!" and the bus was moving again.

Kai lifted his gaze to the window next to him, watching the grey and white streak by. Buildings and steel walls and brightly colored people mixed together, with the occasional tree adding a splash of green.

He was just about to doze off when he was hit in the face with a flying projectile.

"Oh. Stars. I am so sorry," a panicked voice said from somewhere in front of him. "Are you all right?"

Kai, however, couldn't even begin to answer. He was a little bit occupied by rubbing his forehead, while glaring at the phone that was the culprit. It most likely belonged to the girl in front of him, who was now staring at him with wide eyes.

She had messy brown hair in a ponytail and dark eyes in a tanned face. Her appearance didn't match the phone, which was a contraption of steel and sharp edges and spikes. When she saw him looking at her, with a rather murderous expression, she ducked her head behind the bus seats again.

Kai figured he was being a bit harsh. "No, wait!"

After a series of her apologizing and him reassuring her that "Seriously, it's _fine_ ," the conflict was resolved. Honestly, he was lucky he had been hit when he was, because otherwise he would have slept through his stop.

As he stepped off the vehicle, he suddenly realized that he didn't know this girl's name.

A very awkward situation ensued when he had to run up to the window of the bus as it left and desperately ask her name. Strange looks were shot at him.

It didn't matter, though, because he knew that her name was Cinder. It was only hours later as he stroked the shoe charm that her realized they had met before the bus incident.

* * *

The third time they met, he was convinced it was fate.

It had been seven years, and he had only thought of her a few times (usually when the shoe charm turned up in his pigsty of a room), but that didn't justify his rather stalker-ish moves.

Kai was hiding behind a bookshelf, watching a girl with messy brown hair check out a book.

She was trying to be discreet, he could tell, and for good reason too. The glittery copy of Gossip Girls in her arms was barely visible between dense books like Pride and Prejudice and the works of Thoreau.

But, it was there.

He stifled a chuckle as he watched her shyly check out the book. It seemed strange that the girl with what seemed to be a hand-built laptop and thick black gloves would be reading chick-flicks. Then again, who was he to judge? he thought as he made his way to the shoujo manga section.

(That night, he wondered why she was wearing gloves in summer as he watched black ink start to mark his right hand. The first letter seemed to be forming a 'C,' which made him happier than he cared to admit. He tried to hide his disappointment when 'SB' appeared instead.)

* * *

The fourth time they met, Kai wondered if she understood how unhealthy take-out was.

He had taken a job as a delivery boy for a nearby fast-food place as a way to make a little money during college, and he hadn't expected to see the word 'Cinder' pop up again as a name. He also hadn't expected to see that this was her fifth time ordering take-out in a week.

"That can't be healthy," he muttered to himself as he got ready to head out.

"What was that?" Thorne, his friend (if you could call it that) asked from behind him.

Kai took that as an opportunity to ask Thorne what this mysterious person looked like, as Thorne had delivered to her (him?) before. He walked out the door five bucks lighter and with embarrassment staining his cheeks, but at least he would see Cinder again after two years.

Inside the take-out box was a napkin with his number on it. After running into her so many times, it had to be fate. Either that, or he would be giving his number to a very confused random girl with messy brown hair.

First, though, he had to deal with the girl flirting with him. Kai hated his good looks sometimes, and especially when he had to deal with unwanted attention from older girls.

"My name's Levana," she purred.

Great. He shoved the box of fried chicken into her arms and all but ran down her driveway.

It was Levana's fault, he reasoned, when he was halfway to Cinder's apartment and he realized that he had forgotten the car at the older girl's house.

All in all, Kai was about forty minutes late when he rang the doorbell. His heart was racing from the unwelcome exercise (or so he said- no way he could be nervous) and he was pretty sure his face was the color Cress turned whenever she saw Thorne.

Which, by the way, was very red.

He was still fuming when the door swung open to reveal Cinder, the little girl he had met fifteen years ago. He had envisioned this moment since the library meeting (if you could call it that), but he hadn't expected-

"Are those dinosaurs?" Kai asked incredulously.

Cinder looked down at her fuzzy pajamas. He wondered if she would flush, but once again, she didn't, though she looked mortified.

 _No, no, no_ , Kai berated himself. This was not how it was supposed to turn out. He was Kaito Prince, sweet and charming and a gentleman, and he was going to apologize for his words and then for being late.

Instead, his traitor mouth said, "You've ordered a lot of take-out. Is that healthy?"

Kai wanted to slap himself. He would have if Cinder hadn't blinked at him. To her credit, she either wasn't mad or was hiding her anger.

"Well, I don't eat it."

Once again, Kai was left in a stupor, and his state of panic lead to him saying, "So you order take-out to see cute delivery boys?"

She gaped at him, and that was when Kai had to babble and apologize and explain that he was running late and tired and it was that _stupid Levana's_ fault and he was very, very, very sorry and that he wouldn't bother her again.

He also learned that she ordered take-out because it was the cheapest way to give food to people living on the streets.

It was most likely karma, then, Kai thought as he stared at his new messages. Does that mean the napkin was in the wrong box?

 **From: unkown number**

 _Hi sexy. ;)_

That was not Cinder. That could not be Cinder.

 **From: unkown number**

 _It's Levana. Remember me?_

He hit the 'block number' button so hard that he pretty much broke his thumb.

* * *

The fifth time they met, he had reverted to his stalker-ish tendencies.

Thorne, poor soul, had been pulled into the mission.

("Really, dude? This is the girl you scared away as a delivery boy. And now we're following her. At _Walmart._ "

"Don't mention the delivery thing. And I don't work there anymore, 'kay? And please, Thorne, indulge me this once?"

"... Cress can't know about this. Got it?")

She was still wearing the gloves, he noted as he pushed his cart while hiding like a ninja. Thorne was a pouting, moping mess next to him, making them rather conspicuous.

"This is boring," his lame excuse of a best friend whined for the millionth time. They were now in the freezer section, watching Cinder debate between several kinds of ice cream. Kai did have to admit that she took a long time to decide.

Thorne all but cheered when she picked a brand out. Kai had to quiet him down rather forcefully. He agreed, though, when Thorne wrinkled his nose at the ice cream Cinder chose.

Their secret mission has to be abandoned five minutes later when Cinder headed towards-

"No!" Kai shrieked.

"Come on, Kai. It's just the lingerie section."

Despite Thorne's grin and pleading wiles, Kai decided to abort the mission.

(It didn't work. They stood behind Cinder, who was pointedly not looking at them out of either bitterness over the take-out incident or embarrassment, as she purchased blueberries, superman ice cream, a wrench, and a red-and-white polka dotted bra.)

* * *

The sixth time they met, he was in a tie and she was in a brightly colored dress.

It had to be fate that their friends were getting married, right? They could all go on double dates or something. Triple dates, seeing as Cress was a bridesmaid too.

She looked beautiful. Kai was not a cheesy guy (...okay, maybe a little), but she looked like she had stepped straight out of a fairy tale.

That was why he couldn't help asking her out afterwards. He didn't even regret it when he was cornered by the bride later.

"Look here," Scarlet hissed. Her red hair made it look like she wanted to set him on fire. "I know you're Wolf's friend, but you had better not do anything to Cinder, or I'm going to have Wolf throw you to the moon. And then you'll have to deal with _me._ "

Kai put on his most winning smile to hide his quivering legs.

"Also," a sweet voice said dreamily from behind Scarlet. Winter looked like an ethereal snow princess but a slightly insane one. "I'm sure you're a nice guy, but step out of line and... " Her finger rose to draw a line across her neck.

Kai was a good boy. Kai was a smart boy. Kai did not want to die. It wasn't his fault that Cinder had crazy friends.

* * *

The seventh time they met, it wasn't by accident.

Cinder sat across from him, a nervous smile playing on her lips. Kai had on a dress shirt and jeans, the result of a haphazard search of his entire wardrobe and some of Thorne's, too.

("Spades, Kai! It's just a date!"

"Thorne, you don't understand! What do I wear?" he had pterodactyl screamed.)

"So…" she mumbled.

This was it. This was his chance to charm her. He opened his mouth.

"Ummmmmm," he said loudly. Heat started to rise up his neck, prickly and strange, but Cinder's quiet laugh soothed him.

"I'm usually more eloquent, I swear," Kai complained. "It's your fault." His gaze dropped to her gloves.

She cleared her throat. "I don't know my birthday."

What?

"I just thought you should know. When we first met"- so she did remember- "you were talking about soulmates. I'm adopted, and I don't know my birthday. So I don't want you to be disappointed if we're not soulmates, because I know you-"

"Cinder," he said gently. She looked up with sad eyes. "I don't care. Soulmates shouldn't dictate our whole lives. Actually, I decided that when my mom died. My dad told me soulmates shouldn't be the only thing our lives are about, right?"

A half hour later, he learned that her real name was Selene Blackburn, and that the letters 'KP' were drawn across her right hand.

("I suspected you for a long time. I just wanted to make sure," she said. He wanted to be irritated at her for leaving him in the dark so long, but-

"Hey! Now you know your birthday! And it's in a week!")

* * *

 **A/N: So. Here it is.**

 **I've written something after months. First of all, hope you enjoyed it and I appreciate any feedback. Halfway through, I decided to switch to present tense and was almost done when I changed my mind again, so… there are probably some mistakes. If you find any, feel free to point them out so I can fix it.**

 **Second, thanks to all that read my other stories that I said I would update but didn't. Thanks for the reviews too. Now, for some notes.**

 **I'm a sucker for soulmate AUs, but I know the idea of soulmates isn't mine. Honestly, the soulmate factor isn't too big in this fic, but if mine is super close to yours, please know that I didn't copy anyone's knowingly. It's coincidence if the two are similar.**

 **I had to do a bit of research for their birthdays, and I'm pretty sure that they're around a year and a half apart if I did the math right. Any age discrepancies are my fault. Also, I stuck them in Beijing because I didn't want it to be too complicated or close to the original world. Also, both are just normal students. Not royalty.**

 **If you are a delivery person and you are horrified by the delivery scene… I have no idea how ordering take-out works. My only experience is reading cute pizza shipfics.**

 **PLUS DID YOU SEE THE CINDERELLA FAIRY TALE REFERENCE?**

 **Lastly, Cinder and Kai and everyone else are probably super OOC. (Is that right? idk). Kai is a little dorkier, but still smooth and charming because I figure being a prince did things to him. Cinder is probably a little quieter and colder than I intended her to be. I don't know.**

 **Sorry for the super long author's note. Hopefully I didn't offend anyone with the stalker-ish comment on Kai's behavior.**

 **P.S. For the person who reviewed my Lunar Clans fic, thank you so much. I'm glad you like it. I know I promised to update, but… you see, it's been so long that I forgot what I was gonna write. Apologies. Bear with me.**

 **P.P.S. I'm a little horrified at how my author's notes ran on my previous fics. My one-shot ones especially. (Oh god, I sounded like a little kid.) Therefore, please note that the stuff in parentheses in the fanfiction up there- they are not author's notes. They're there to be artistic or somethin'. Just saying because I did that once in my Jacinter one, and that was.. That was pretty bad.**

 **Sorry for this huge author's note. Toodles. :D**


	2. Chapter 2

It has been a pleasure to interact with you all on this website for the past year or so. However, I have been horribly inactive, and I've come to the conclusion that trying to write consistently while in school is unrealistic. Also, most of the works I have published on here are terribly outdated, and I don't feel like I can be proud of what I've published.

I've decided to remove all but one of my fics (and believe me, the surviving one will be vigorously edited when I have time). Thank you to all who have read and reviewed my writing. The support has been fantastic.

I do think that I will return to this in the future, and hopefully I can repost some works.

Take care and happy Internet-ing.


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